Our anglers routinely comment on the unique camaraderie that exists between our staff, and our anglers.
A close relationship between staff and guests is a vital part of the Alaska West experience.
Our entire camp crew eats at the same dinner table as our anglers – giving us a chance to get to know you in a way that goes beyond what happens on the river. Our guides relax in our lounge tent with you, tying flies and showing off digital pictures of the day just ended.
You won’t know until you’ve seen it – but once you’ve seen it you’ll agree – the quality of our team and the friendships you’ll make at Alaska West are one of a kind.
Our Guides
At first glance, their faces would blend into the crowd on a street corner in Seattle. Some look like mosh-pit-generation-Xers, some have the look of homeless vagrants. Scruffy partially shaven faces, eyes obscured by hip-looking dark sunglasses, sun bleached clothing and shoes worn to tatters. The whole ensemble complete with the baggy pants.
Second glance would reveal the well tanned faces of dudes spending entirely too much time on the river. The faded clothing sport labels from Sage, Simms and other makers of the finest technical outerwear money can buy. The glasses are equipped with the best optically ground polarized lenses available. The baggy pants are state of the art Gore-tex breathable waders.
The well-worn look comes from incredibly hard working professionals who stop at nothing short of “making it happen” for our angling clientele. The equipment, although an integral part of the ensemble, is second only to the can-do attitude, enthusiasm and expertise of this exceptional group of individuals. Alaska West is very proud of its entire staff. The crew is comprised of motivated, dedicated and highly skilled persons, whose commitment to a good job well done is seldom equaled in this industry.
Our Gear
Our boats are 16 to 18 foot flat-bottomed john boats and are powered by 40 HP jet pumps. They are equipped with bow and stern anchors, two swivel seats and life jackets. A cooler is on board to store lunches and drinks.
Our jet boats are used in several different ways. While fishing for salmon you might fish from the boat. Anchoring up and swinging or stripping flies can be very effective. Fishing for trout can be done from our boats as well. Your guide rows you down river ‘drift boat style’ and you cast while floating. This method is a wonderful way to see the river and cover water.
While fishing from the boat is fun, most anglers also choose to fish from the wading-friendly gravel bars. This is where the jet boat shines! We can run over very shallow water and get you to many small side channels that can be hiked up and fished from shore with your guide.
We have a whole bunch of gear available to our guests for no additional charge – fly and spinning rods, reels and lines, flies, leader material, even wading boots and waders.
